Welcome Back

I spent yesterday with my dad and my stepmom, Pam. It had been a long time since I’d seen them, so I guess it was something of a Boxing Day Miracle. I also had a wonderful FaceTime call with my brother and sister-in-law.

We spent the day hiking and eating. I think that as far as calories go it was a wash.

Sierra Farewell

This is my last hike with Dad before he heads out for his new home. We went up to the Donner Pass area for the day. The weather was cloudy and pleasantly cool (especially coming from Davis in July) and we had a great vantage point of the Range of Light during our lunch break.

Dad gave me an extra long hug when he dropped me off. I can’t wait to go hiking again when he returns for a visit.

Movin’ On

Back home in Davis. It’s starting to sink in that Dad is getting ready to sell his house (the one I grew up in) and move to the East Coast with Pam. I have to admit that we both feel anxious about this (which is normal when you make big changes in life). That being said, I still have the rest of my family and a good team of caregivers out here, so I think it will be alright.

I’m lucky to have a loving family, and Dad says he will be back to visit me in California as often as he can. I believe him.

The Coast

The Oregon Coast is really beautiful. It’s great for a leisurely drive on a summer afternoon. This part of the world always makes me feel like I’m not in a hurry.

Astoria

When traveling in the Pacific Northwest, I will always make a point of seeing my brother and sister-in-law. This time we met and hung out in Astoria, Oregon near the mouth of the Columbia River. It was only for a few hours, but those family moments are precious.

Jackson and Wendy, I love you guys.

All Apologies

Aberdeen, Washington. This small town near the coast is the childhood home of Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain (1967-1994). Naturally, Dad and I stopped by a small city park on the banks of the Wishkah River that’s become a shrine dedicated to the late great musician. It’s really too bad that Kurt chose to join the “27 Club” of rock ‘n’ roll greats who died young. (Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Amy Winehouse and many others come to mind.) I guess we can never truly know what’s going on in another person’s soul.

Being considerate types, we did not knock on doors of private homes in the neighborhood to ask stupid questions. There was homemade signage in the area to suggest that the locals are tired of it.

R.I.P. Kurt.

300

Here I’m being very brave. I’m standing on a narrow pedestrian walkway on a bridge, cars whizzing by in the roadway next to me, staring down at the tide several hundred feet below.

This is Deception Pass, a thin channel in the Puget Sound area separating Washington’s Whidbey Island from the mainland. The tides here are intense because the water gets funneled through a small passage. It’s a beautiful and fascinating spot.

Also, this is my 300th blog post. Quite a milestone.

Deception Falls

One thing that you can find in Washington State is lots of water. Even though there’s a sturdy bridge over Deception Creek in the Cascade Range, it’s still scary to walk over that rushing torrent.

The view of the waterfall was still great from the side I was on, though.

Windy

The Palouse country of Eastern Washington is beautiful. Rolling green hills (brown in summer) that seem to stretch on forever.

It’s also very windy. In the photo, I’m trying to hold on to my hat.

Back In The High Life Again

Dad and I are perfectly happy to stay in campgrounds whilst on our travels. Sometimes though, more luxurious accommodations look tempting. Case in point: the East Glacier Lodge outside its namesake park. It’s been here for over a hundred years and is actually quite famous. Out of curiosity, we looked up room rates. Expensive, but not outrageously so.

Maybe I can convince Dad to stay here next time.

I’m On A Mission

If you’re traveling from Missoula, Montana to Glacier National Park, you’ll probably notice the Mission Mountains to the east. They are named after the Jesuit St. Ignatius Mission in the region. Much of the range lies within the Flathead Indian Reservation and a large part is protected as a designated wilderness area.

Interestingly, a portion is set aside as a grizzly bear protection zone where humans are not allowed for parts of the year. (There is something similar set up for bighorn sheep in the Eastern Sierra Nevada in California.) The grizzlies are cool, but not cuddly. I think it’s wise to keep one’s distance and just let them be. By the way, one of the bears’ favorite foods up here is ladybugs.

River Of No Return

The Salmon River in central Idaho is a special place for me. It’s part of a scenic byway that we’ve been on twice before on the way to Montana. However, this is the first time we’ve camped on the river. It’s gentle in this part, but the water is deep and fast flowing this time of year. The campground here is exceptionally well maintained. It’s very clean and there’s even a fence to protect little kids from falling in the river. From the looks of it, anyone under the age of ten wouldn’t have a chance in that water.

Downstream from where we camped, the river enters a deep canyon with huge rapids for many miles. When Lewis and Clark came through this area in 1805 their Shoshone hosts basically said: “Dude, only go down this river if you don’t mind dying.” Despite their impatience to reach the Pacific Ocean before winter set in, the party made the wise choice and retreated back over Lost Trail Pass, down through the Bitterroot Valley, over Lolo Pass in an early snowstorm, and west via the Clearwater River. Nobody got hurt.

Old Horses

Idaho’s Hagerman Fossil Beds, located by the Snake River, is an interesting place. It’s the site of the oldest horse fossils (about 4 million years old) in the world. They’re not exactly the same as a modern horse, but close enough.

I used to be involved in the TROTR program in Woodland when I was a teenager. I learned how to take care of and make friends with horses on a ranch. It was fun and I still have the t-shirt.

Little Boxes

Dad and I went to a big box store today to buy some little boxes. Actually, they were fairly big boxes, and we got a lot. I found out that Dad and Pam are moving away soon. I’m a bit sad about that, but I’m also looking forward to visits and many Excellent Adventures in the years to come.

It’s good to make life changes from time to time. Keeps things interesting.

Me And My Uncle

Today was a really fun day. My Uncle Eliot came for a visit and we went for a hike in one of the American River Canyons (North Fork). We hung out at the river and then had some dinner at Dos Coyotes in Davis.

This day combined three of my favorite things: hiking, family, and food.

The Grapes Of Wrath

Some of my readers may know that UC Davis is a center for the study of viticulture. Apparently, it’s more complicated than just squashing a bunch of grapes in tub like Lucille Ball.

If you explore the outskirts of campus, you’ll run across experimental vineyards researching who knows what. It’s a profitable industry, so as the sign behind me implies, don’t mess with it.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day everyone.

Down By The Riverside

Dad and I usually observe Superb Owl (an anagram of the Super Bowl) this time of year by checking out the birds at the Cosumnes River Preserve. However, we couldn’t get there due to an old bridge that was washed out by recent heavy rains. The Cosumnes actually floods a lot during the winter because, unlike most California rivers, there are no big dams upstream. It’s one of the reasons why it is such a special place.

As an alternative, we took a nice stroll by the Sacramento River near the iconic Tower Bridge. A beautiful day. February t-shirt weather.

Alas, the 49ers didn’t win, but it was still a great day.

January Morning

Happy New Year, everybody! As we often do, Dad and I spent New Year’s Day hiking at Pt. Reyes National Seashore. It was a beautiful day with one little bummer attached. You can't see it in the photo, but my sunglasses were resting on top of my hat. Well, at our first rest stop they weren’t there anymore. Unfortunately, retracing our steps turned up nothing. Oh, well…

Time for a trip to REI.